Another King
by maximum.navyseal
Summary: And for a moment, I believed that life had no end and everyone would live happily in the end. The Circle of Life was a lie, and Mheetu would live. I wasn't worried or sad or mad or even frightened at the sound of Death. For a moment, everything was perfect. The next generation after the rule of Kovu is wretched. Who will stop them from ruining the lands like Scar all over again?
1. Chapter 1

Mheetu looked at the young cub quivering at the gruesome sight that lurched in the open space of the cave. Had he not been there, the young one would have been slaughtered by the hyenas. Blood was on his fur and on the dusty soil of the Outlands. He'd come like a ghost, not mentioning his lighter fur color but the silence from the noise that went on in the cave.

"Why are you out here? You shouldn't be here, son."

"They-they dared me to-i didn't know that the hyenas would-" he studdered.

"Here," Mheetu went to pick up the cub. "you need to get home. I know your father is worried. You're lucky I was here to save you this time." The cub welcomed the childish act of being held by his scruff, he wanted to leave quickly, leave and never return. "And you scared me half to death even thinking you'd try to come over here. This isn't like you!" he said through clenched teeth.

Walking home, the cub thought about the cubs that made him do that. They were older than him, and always in their little gang they formed in the cave of Pride-Rock. The one that really made him tick was the oldest, Taka. It seemed as though ever since he could walk, Taka was there to criticize him, or brag about something.

"Look, Mako! I can faster than you! Haha!" he laughed after Mako had exited the cave for the first time since his birth. Then again, they both irritated each other by doing things the other couldn't.

"Take that Taka! I just swam the entire pond without sinking!" That once was a great memory, seeing as Taka didn't know how to swim and one of the lionesses had to come and get him out of the water. His grandfather, Mheetu, or the overall King of the lands had talked to him about one-upping the other cubs, but driving it too far will kill one, the other, or both if it got too serious. Nevertheless, they were at it again the following morning as they tried to jump over the pond. He chuckled to himself.

"Is something funny?" Mheetu finally spoke. "Last time I checked, not only were you half past your curfew, but you missed dinner **and** you went into the Outlands without anyone to assist you. What is the laughter in that?" Mheetu dropped the furball gently on the ground.

"I'm sorry, Grandad. I didn't know they would attack me, they were nice at first. Then, they tried to eat me. Then you came and saved me."

"I wasn't any better." Mheetu smiled. "I got into worse. But then I didn't have much to ruin in my cubhood, not with a destiny to grow up and serve a tyrant."

"You mean your brother Scar, right?" The name froze his heart all over again.

"Yes, little one. I meant Scar. He proved to everyone that only the chosen can be a king. I however was chosen as, The King."

"What's the difference?" Mako asked.

"Well, the king of the Pridelands is in control of things like making sure no one else tries to steal our positions, and he also has to make the small decisions that concern his kingdom."he explained. "But I have to keep the land safe, and prevent any war from erupting, or in any case, end them. I rule all the land, Pride or Outland. My name will echo throughout time forever in the short line of Kings there are in my dynasty."

"Why isn't uncle the King, then? Wouldn't it go to the eldest next since you're getting a little older? No offense Grandad."

"None taken, I understand that with my old age there was to be an heir, but Kings like me don't normally come from the same blood or the next generation. It could take decades for the next to take his place. Oddly, my father, who was positioned as both kings as King Ahadi, was the last King. I was a miracle, and my mother died right after my birth. Mheetu means "Miracle" in the old languages, you know."

"Will you live forever?" the cub stammered.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you have all this power. Wouldn't you be able to live for however you like?"

"Sorry, but it doesn't work like that. To be straight with you, everyone dies. Someday I will, and another you will too. It's the Circle of Life."

"But it's not fair." Mako said sternly.

"Why's that?"  
>"Because if you're not here, no one will talk to me like you do. Dad is always too busy and he doesn't have the time." Tears formed in his eyes. "Just thinking about you not being here makes me sad. Don't leave, Grandad. Don't leave!" he grabbed onto Mheetu's coat and cried harder and harder as the sky darkened. Stars glowed brightly in the atmosphere.<p>

"I wouldn't leave you like this, Mako. I will never leave. Let me tell you something Mufasa had explained to me about my father." He paused for the cub's attention. "In the sky, as the stars, the Great Kings of the Past look down at us, offering wisdom to those who seek it. When we die and our bodies become grass, our own stars are formed and we finally reunite with our families. Like Heaven."

"I bet you'll have the brightest star one day." The cub climbed onto his back for a better view. "Besides, you're _**my**_ Grandad. That's the best position you can be in." Mheetu smiled.

"Let's go home. Your father is worried sick."

_And for a moment, I believed that life had no end and everyone would live happily in the end. The Circle of Life was a lie, and Mheetu would live. I wasn't worried or sad or mad or even frightened at the sound of Death. For a moment, everything was perfect._


	2. Chapter 2

For the same reason that Mheetu had passed, Mako decided to run. Not run away, but ran across the grasslands of the Pride lands. He and his friends Chaka, Ari, and Strife ran all day long, until the dinner bell rang or the sun set too low. They didn't have any other purpose than to escape the prison the new Council of lions made up.

The Council was like the new order of the Pride lands- made up of the descendants of famous Kings like Kovu and Mheetu and a couple elders. But their wisdom was false. They said they wanted equity among every animal and said they shouldn't even eat their meat anymore.

"It was Mheetu's wish." His uncle, the head of the Council, replied after Mako had confronted him.

"Mheetu didn't mean this," he argued. " he didn't mean 'immediately lower down the food chain'!"

Once, when he was younger, he said this and kept repeating this. His uncle got so mad, he struck him and left him in his own pity. His father couldn't do anything to help except growl and clean him. Now, he had a X like scar across his forehead to remind him.

He didn't give up though.

Whenever his father told him about the new rules being adopted into the kingdom. He couldn't do anything, but run.

"We can't just sit here and wait for the world to die again, can't we? We need to do something!" The grandson of King Kovu, Chaka, spoke.

"I know, but we need to wait. My grandfather taught me to wait until the right time to strike, and this isn't right yet. Trust me. We'll be there when we need to be."

"But what about us? We eat meat. If they make us like the antelope, then what will we eat? I'm definitely not going to chow on dirt and weeds for the rest of my days. I'm not a freaking deer! Do you see antlers?" Ari, a snow leopard, countered.

"You guys, stop complaining. We're not going to be stuck eating the greens for life. I trust Mako. Mheetu was wise, and so is he compared to us. So much for being the youngest, I'd say."

Mako chuckled and wondered away, knowing their thoughts.

In the past, the Council felt the need for the Great King to return to the Pride lands. Many brave lions tried to roar the roar of the King but when they did, a storm erupted from nowhere and strike the lions with a bolt of anger. They died. No one dared to try a descendant of Mheetu. Instead, they decided on another who roared but somehow, the storm didn't kill him.

Taka.

As much as Mako despised the older male, he also claimed that he wasn't supposed to be the King.

"You're just jealous. Grow up, cubby." Taka responded time after time. In return, his friends stood by his side.

"No matter what they say, you need to be the King. You're the one with more knowledge than anyone in that stupid board of kittens they made. I'm one hundred percent with you, bud." Chaka encouraged regularly.

"No, I might be better than Taka in _**every single way**_, but I can't force them to make me king. What's done is done." Mako

"Mako, they have to wait til he's old enough to give him the crowning. If they gave it to him quickly, it would be even more cruddy then it is now, am I right?" Chaka nudged him.

"Yeah, besides, who care what they say? You can take them! We'll be there. YOUTH BEATS OLD GEASERS!" Ari boasted.

"Nah. I'll just, stop the movement their trying to accomplish first. Besides, I'm younger than- not only all of you, but,- Taka. In fact, he's older than all of us, so there's no trying to beat him in age. Let's just leave that alone for now." He pushed back.

And thats how it always ended- Mako not wanting to take hold of the throne. No matter how much they argued that Mheetu was the original king, Mako denied it. He really didn't want to be in charge.

As time went on and they became older, the bolder Mako came. His uncle, Jeb, was getting old and very weak and couldn't handle a single fight for himself, so he hired a bunch of other lions, including Taka, to keep the border protected from intruders.

"Now, that's lazy. Every king was able to protect their own kingdom, but a leader in Council can't move a single muscle. Crazy!" Mako protested to his friends. Then Taka walked by for his shift

"No it's not! We're simply standing by until _my _time comes. Then I can handle this all by myself! You wait and see _cubby._" He chuckled.

"My name's Mako!"

"You mise as well be named dirt, boy." And he took off again. Something disturbed Mako in that lion, ad maybe he was meant to find out. One night, he confronted his father, Azmer.

"Look, Mako, I can't do anything to punish everyone- I'm not even in with your uncle. I do know that if you go too far, you might just be killed, or worse." He said calmly.

"Dad, what can be worse? At least I wouldn't have to be a grass-eating baboon!"

"You would have to leave the ones you love, and that's the ,most anyone can do to ya. At least you can be killed knowing someone loved you."

"But we're talking about Taka. He gets everything for himself. Just because he wasn't killed that instinct doesn't mean he won't be. And how can you even take _**his **_side?! You're supposed to be with me!"  
>"Mako, don't shoot the messenger." Mako looked at his father with stone eyes.<p>

"You mean, you'll _let_ them kill me if they 'need' to? I can't believe you, dad. You've really lost your cool through the years, if you ever were at that." Mako retreated to a small cave dug under Pride Rock, there, he and his friends slept together.

"What'd he say?" Chaka asked as soon as he sat by them. Mako thanked the darkness for covering the look of anger and hurt in his eyes.

"They'll kill us if we don't stop. My dad just told me."

"So what's the plan, _boss?"_ Ari snorted.

"That is the plan. We'll push them to the verge of killing us, then we can actually stop their plans. Not the smartest thing, but it's all we've got. I'm guessing we have about three sunsets before they try to 'knight' the little bother. We need to save our resources and stop our 'forefathers' from giving the lands back to the hyenas."

"I'm with ya buddy." Duma, a cheetah, agreed willingly. Everyone else cheered quietly. Still, Mako's smile refused to show to his small pride of felines.

"Tonight, then, we'll sleep without the worry for our hides."

And they did.

I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter. Some of the names, despite their unoriginal being, mean the animal they are. Ex. Duma= Cheetah. Please review.


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